Angel Wings
by atrieisan
Summary: Once again, this is an original work that I didn't know where to put. Will soon be a manga too.  Atrie has spent his young life not knowing his past, and in order to prevent a war between 3 worlds, he must find his lost memories.
1. Chapter 1

1_Angel Wings_

Legend once told of a goddess

who's wings shined like the moon.

She guided us away from hate in hopes to bring peace.

But in the dawning days of a new era,

she left this world.

Now the legend speaks of a new power.

An angel hidden within his own shadow.

Once his power has been awakened,

he will guide humanity

into a new world.

A world untouched by hate and fear.

Unless the darkness steals him away.

Chapter 1

Destiny Calls

The dawning light sifted through the shifting grass on the hills of the valley of Red Wind. Illuminating the leaves of the trees and shining down upon the face of a young boy, nuzzled into its branches. Yawning he began to wake from his slumber, squinting into the morning sun.

The people of the valley of Red Wind knew him as Matt and that he was of the main family branch and was one of the two grandchildren of the village elder.

For the past few nights he had made camp by one of the many streams outside of the village. He was waiting for someone, his cousin Atrie (Ah-tree). Atrie was one of the few who could travel far from the village. Knowing how to fly a glider since he was little was a big advantage. The forests were dense and full of nasty creatures who had killed many from the village before. No roads lead to or from the village either, so flying was the only source of transportation to the cities.

Climbing down from the tree, Matt rolled up his pants, took of his shirt and waded into the stream. Pulling up one of the small traps he had set last night, he found himself a small catch of a crawdad and three tiny fry. Sighing he took his catch back to the shore and stirred up a fire.

High up in the whistling winds Atrie shot through the sky on his modified, long distance glider. Scouring the landscape with his golden eagle eyes, searching for the valley of Red Wind where the village would be awaiting his arrival. Spotting the redlined leaves of the trees he knew he was entering the territory of his village.

After finishing his meager breakfast, Matt clambered up the nearby watchtower . Surveying the sky for any sign of his cousin's glider was not easy. Often he was either skimming the ground or he was so high up he appeared as a bird of prey.

Yawning still he licked his finger and held it in the air above his head. Atrie's glider could control wind currents to give him an advantage in flight. If nearby, the wind would give a violent change in direction to support the gliders motion. The wind whipped around his finger in a furious motion and then settled in its newly given course. Brought back into reality, he shook himself and starred up into the sky just in time to see Atrie and his glider flying overhead. Snatching at the bell string he rang the large signal bell.

Atrie smiled as the villagers commenced toward the front gate. He enjoyed how everyone came out to welcome him home after being on for so long. Often he was gone for many months and was rarely home for more than a few days.

"It's good to be home," Atrie laughed.

Just as he had began to land, Matt clambered out of the bushes panting from running hard. Swinging his harm around Atrie's shoulders the two of them fell backwards laughing. Behind them the glider vanished in a puff of smoke. Once it cleared a small, golden-red, cat sized fox sat in its place on the dirt path.

It leapt upon Matt's head, wagging its long fluffy tail like a puppy. Atrie pushed his goggles off his face and up atop his head. All the while laughing at the two of them sitting like a miniature Tiki statue. Taking a mirror out of his side bag attached to his belt, he held it out in front of them.

" Ha, maybe I should turn Kite into a hat and always wear him on my head," Matt snickered.

Kite merely growled with distaste at the comment and leapt off his head onto Atrie's shoulder. The cousins just grinned and picked themselves off the ground, dusting off their clothes.

Later that evening the two of them were huddled by the light of the fire chatting amongst themselves. Their grandmother, the village elder, was nestled into one of the two large armchairs half dozed by the feast, which was greatly approved by the starving Matt.

"Matt dear, would you go brew us all a nice cup of tea," Granny asked.

Looking up from his conversation, he nodded and left the room to the kitchen. Making sure he was out of earshot, she turned back to Atrie with a mischievous glint in her old eyes. Atrie merely blinked, confused by his grandmothers bizarre smile.

"Atrieisan (Ah-tree-eh-san), it's time to talk about your destiny. You without even knowing it are of royal blood. A prince and the only heir to an ancient clan. You're also a magic wielder my boy," she smiled.

Atrie lifted an eyebrow, frowning in disbelief. Granny sighed and continued, "Hold out your hand child."

Rolling his eyes he held his hand out to her, where she placed a strange necklace. Atrie starred in amazement at the intricately designed medallion that hung from the tattered string.

"Your father wanted me to give it to you when the time was right . It is named after you, the Key of Atrieisan. It has the power to open three gates. The gates of Heaven, Hell, and Earth. It was created by your father and is prized by all, both good and evil. In the struggle to keep it safe for you, the Heaven's Gate Key was ripped off and hidden away. In order for you to awaken the key's full potential however, you must find the third key. Only then will you be able to fulfill your destiny.

Remember this most of all. You must never show it to anyone outside of the family for it could mean you're death."

Atrie gulped down his shock and confusion and tied the medallion around his neck. Trying to understand all that had been said to him.

"One more thing Atrieisan, before you can start you're quest you must visit the sorcerer Kutai (coo-tie). He was a good friend of your father back in the day and can help you learn to bend and control your magic. He lives among the hills in Sendai at Fushigi (Foo-she- gee) Shrine."

Atrie nodded in agreement, "Sendai, Fushigi Shrine, Kutai. Got it."

Matt meandered into the room with a tray covered with cups of tea, honey, and half a dozen gingersnaps for them to share. He smiled at them, flushed red with embarrassment. It took only seconds for Atrie to realize why.

Matt stood there in a clad, bright pink apron, dappled with red roses and frilled shoulders and pockets. Unable to stand it any longer Atrie cracked up, laughing himself silly.

"You actually wore that gody thing that you said you'd never wear. Ha, ha, sorry, but it's just to funny," Atrie howled with laughter.

Matt scowled, "I only wore it to keep the hot water off and it was the only one that wasn't in the wash!"

They were up much of the night, arguing and laughing about many things, completely forgetting their worries. But eventually the sleep train lulled them off into dreamland.

It was early the next morning, around 4:00am. The sun was still hiding behind the distant hills. Kite tensed, ears twitching he raised his head from his paws and peered around the dark room. Then giving a whining yawn, he stretched and hoped onto the windowsill just above the bed.

The window was wet with dew from the cold night. Wiping the window with his paw he stared out into the distance. The fields glittered in the blue light of the setting moon. But Kite was not interested in the tranquil scenery. Something evil was lurking about in the darkness. He growled.

Just outside the village sat a shady character indeed. Clothed in black along with a deep gray overcoat and sunglasses he watched the sun creep over the hills before him. A nasty smile curled around his lips.

"Soransu (Soar-ron-sew), your purpose has been served. Now it is time for me to serve mine. To destroy your child before he can realize the truth of the destiny you laid out for him," he laughed into the distant sky.

The sun was up in the morning sky and the villagers were up and about doing chores to set their day in motion. Atrie was known for over sleeping, so Matt decided to do the honors of setting a very disturbing alarmclock. Which definitely lives up to it's name, Crazy.

Just as Atrie turned over in his sleep the clock ticked on and began to scream, "We wish you a Merry Christmas!" If you stood outside his door, you could hear screaming, hissing, something being thrown and the sound of the alarmclock going off in the background.

"Aaaaack! Matt is going to pay for this! He knows how much I hate that thing!" Atrie screamed, holding his head to steady his blood flow.

"Maybe that's why he set it," Kite snarled while trying to smooth his ruffed fur.

Atrie stared at his pet that was now talking to him in his own language. His mouth agape his hand pointing straight towards the fox.

"Since when could you talk!?" He shuddered.

"I've always been able to talk. It was you that couldn't understand me until your magic level increased. Continue to freak out about it, I'll rip of your mouth," Kite hissed.

"Okay, weird," Atrie twitched.

Wandering down the hall, Atrie and Kite stumbled sleepily into the kitchen. A great rush of the sweet smell of cooking batter and berries filled their noses. The scent made them drool.

Matt laughed at the two of them as they entered the room. Atrie's hair was ruffed up and stuck out in all directions, his bangs hung over one of his eyes. Kite hung over shoulder starting to doze again. Hi s sharp little teeth clamped onto the strap on Atrie's goggles to keep from falling off.

"Good morning sleepyhead. Don't you look good this morning," Matt snickered.

"Oh shut up," Atrie snapped as he meandered around the counter searching for his hidden stash of snacks. Matt shook his head in dismay while he watched Atrie search the backs of the cupboards in vain.

"Atrie, Granny did a kitchen raid the other week. All of the expired or junkfood she found is gone. Turned it all into a bonfire," he sighed.

Ignoring his cousin, Atrie continued to search in the back. Then a smirk ran across his face.

"Not all of it."

With that, he hit a small tab sticking out of the wall inside one of the cupboards by the sink. Pushing through the tab he opened a hole into a secret compartment. Reaching in he grabbed a hold of something. The sound of plastic echoed throughout the kitchen. Matt stared in surprise as Atrie picked himself up off the floor, a cereal bar in between his teeth. Tossing a stick of jerky to Kite, he wandered out of the kitchen and down the hall towards his room.

"Hey, where are you going now?" Matt yell from the kitchen doorway. Atrie turned, smiled and gave him a thumbs up.

"I need to get ready to head out to Sendai," he assured him.

"Say what!?" dropping his toast he raced down the hall into Atrie's room. Kite pranced along his heels barking like an excited puppy at all the commotion, adding to the noise of their loud chatter.

"So just where is Sendai?" Matt pried.

"It is a fairly good sized city north of Tokyo. I'm heading to a shrine on the outskirts of the city. Apparently a friend of my old man lives there,"Atrie hissed as he tried to stuff a shirt into an already stuffed side bag.

Connecting the pouches to his belt and strapping his goggles atop his head, he wandered out onto the front porch, Matt not to far behind. Taking his first breaths of the foggy morning air, Atrie sighed, staring out into the wet sky.

"This will be interesting," he yawned, "Well I'd best be off now. Come on kite, let's hit the skies."

Atrie waved to his cousin before throwing Kite into the air. There the small fox transformed into a golden red glider. He smiled and took off from the ground, the glider immediately catching in the gentle breeze and soaring up into the sky. Chasing the glider, Matt clambered up one of the large hills and yelled off into the distance.

"You come back now you hear!"

Atrie gave a cheeky grin, "Yeah, I hear you."

With that he soared off into the endless sky.


	2. Chapter 2

1

Chapter 2

Tokyo

Skimming along the rice fields on the outskirts of Tokyo, Atrie and Kite were preparing to land for a rest. Yawning he scaled down to land on one of the trodden paths when something caught his eye. Kicking the ground he gave some lift to the glider.

"Kite, don't land just yet. I have an idea,"Atrie smirked, "You see that bullet train over there. Let's try to land on it. If we can, we will be able to recuperate while we head into town. Then maybe we will have the energy to search for an inn."

Kite's teeth showed from the underside of the glider forming a snarl. "That's not a very good idea," he warned.

Atrie gave a weak smile and brought the glider skimming merely a few feet away from the train's side. From the window a young girl watched as he tried to raise the glider just above the roof. A gaping smile crossed her face.

"Mommy! Mommy! There's a flying man out the window!" she cried.

Looking up from her book she stared out the window, viewing nothing but the many rice fields whizzing by. Her mother shook her head in disdain.

"No there's not now sit down before you fall and hurt yourself."

Outside, just above the train, Atrie and Kite hovered, prepared to commence with their daring feat. Nodding up at his friend he released his grip, falling down to the roof. Landing hard, he coughed up his breath. Sputtering to regain it he pulled himself up away from the edge. Kite landed with a thud next to him.

"That was close, and it really hurt too," he cringed from the fall.

Ignoring his master, Kite began to brush his tail with his paws. His ears folded back upon his head he snarled.

"Fine, you were right. This time."

Atrie smiled at his foxy companion who in return glared at him. Shaking his head to avoid a fight, he lay back and began to doze. His goggles and golden hair shone in the evening sun. Kite blinked from the light and stared off at the distant hills that were becoming more and more populated with homes and businesses as they approached the city.

Atrie awoke to the sound of squealing breaks and Kite's persistent barking. Sitting up in a daze he looked around. The train was pulling into on of the stations.

"Atrie! Wake up you loon! We're in the station and if we don't get out of here fast we'll end up as prey for security guards!" Kite snapped at his masters fingers, shocking him back into reality.

"Alright, let's go," he mumbled through his bleeding fingers as he tried to suck away the pain.

Leaping from the train Atrie and Kite raced off towards the nearest exit. One of the officers yelled at them as they ran past the front gates. Spinning around the corner the officer cursed under his breath. The two of them had already disappeared within the bustling crowds.

"Ha, did you see that guard Kite?! I bet if you shut him in an unlocked closet he'd never find his way out," Atrie laughed.

Kite hoped upon Atrie's shoulder, bringing his fangs close to his neck, "Atrieisan, you need to learn to keep your trap shut before I tear it out."

The thought of his throat being ripped out settled itself uncomfortably in his mind. Shaking his head to remove the thought only made the image more vivid and disturbing. Sighing, he finally gave in to Kite's ploy.

"Alright Kite, have it your way."

"Good. Now let's find someplace to sleep, I'm exhausted."

Eventually after much searching the two of them found a place where they could have slept. But as things were, it did not turn out well. Storming out of the hotel, Atrie and Kite fumed. Gritting his teeth, Atrie sat on the curb, his face twisted in disgust. Kite's tail continuously slapped down upon the concrete in his own rage.

"How can they charge that much for a night's stay!? It's outrageous!"

"Well one, Atrie, you should try not to pick such a fancy place to sleep. Two, they don't allow pets, even though I am truly a wild fox."

"Kite you're a domestic."

"Would a domestic try to rip your throat out?"

Atrie grimaced, " Well no, Actually. By the way that place wasn't fancy."

Kite rolled his eyes, "Fancy enough for your father to steal from."

Atrie blinked, "Hold on a sec! Just what did you mean by that!"

Kites hackles rose in alarm, "Nothing! Nothing at all! I didn't say anything."

"Kite!"

"Excuse me," an unfamiliar voice shattered their argument, "I couldn't help over hearing you complaining. My name is Derrick, please forgive me for intruding, but I can give you a place to stay."

"Really?!?" A sigh of relief fell upon Atrie's face. Kite however began to hiss, his teeth bared a fight.

"Atrie, leave one of your books here and run," Kite snarled.

"Huh?"

Kite gave a threatening glare,"Do it and go!"

Reaching into his pouch he pulled out one of his many books. Setting it on the ground, he turned and ran in the opposite direction. Waiting till he was far enough away, Kite turned his attention fully onto his opponent.

"Long time no see, Kite," Derricks eyes glinted in the streetlights.

"Not long enough," Kite hissed.

Snatching Atrie's book of the ground, he used it as a medium to transform. Shielding his eyes from the light, Derrick just managed to see the fox's shape twist and bend taking upon a human like form. When the light had dissipated, the fox was nowhere to be seen. In his stead, a young male stood braced for attack under one of the overhanging lamppost. His golden, red tipped hair, along with his long tail and furred collar flickered in the light. His once deep green eyes now glowed a vibrant orange. Releasing his claws to their full length, he leapt to attack. Derrick complied by doing the same.

The still night, as quiet as city nights get, was shattered by the sound of clashing blades. Claws against steal continued to shatter the sounds of the night. Clash, after clash, after clash, they yelled out with such fury it was astounding. People around the block could hear the battle cries of the two fighters. Many of them turned to run. Other, more ambitious folks, peered around the corners to watch the show, to find more than they had expected.

Flashes of gold and black energy could be seen as the two landed blows. Taking his gun in hand, Derrick fired several shots at the demon fox. Racing around the intersection, Kite pranced. Bounding off cars and poles, trying to get a good shot without getting himself or a bystander injured.

Playing this little war game was becoming more and more difficult. The longer they kept this up, the more likely it was for people to get hurt. More people were getting crowded around the intersection as the traffic began to build up.

Summoning up his strength, he charged at Derrick with all his might. Ramming into his side, Kite forced him into the air. Leaping off one of the trucks, he lashed out at the already stunned Derrick. They flew through the air for some time until the force a gravity sent them plummeting into one of the buildings, crashing through the window.

In the darkness, Derrick rose from the floor. Rubbing his head he hissed, his head throbbed in pain. Peering around the room he saw no sign of Kite. The room was dark and desolate. Picking himself off the ground he scoured the damage from their landing. Papers were scattered around, and the furniture and window were beyond repair. One paper in particular caught his attention. Leaning over, he plucked it out from underneath a couple of books that toppled from their shelf. It glinted in the light from a remaining aurora that surrounded it.

A smirk crossed Derricks face, "Kite, you've given me the key to your destruction."

Racing down the sidewalk, Kite dashed in and out between the legs of wandering souls out for adventure in the nightlife. Crawling up onto one of the many chairs outside a café, he snuffed the air for his masters sent, all to find it was cloaked by the sent of fresh baked goods. Growling to himself, he bounded across the street to the park where his masters sent immediately rushed to him. Letting out an excited yip he waited for a reply, but there wasn't one. Padding around a few trees he spotted Atrie in the distance.

He lay there, leaning back against an old twisted oak, starring into space. His eyes were deep and distant, as if trying to recall some distant memory. Glancing over at his friend, he sat up and flicked away the sprig of grass he had been nibbling on. Starring up at the hazy moon through the branches he sighed.

"Why is that we can never see the stars in the city, but they are so clear back home?"

"Not even I can answer that, Atrie. I'm a guardian, not a scientist," Kite sighed. Crawling up into the branches Kite curled into his little ball and yawned.

"Atrie, try to get some sleep we have a long day ahead of us."

"Yeah, I know."


	3. Chapter 3

1

Chapter 3

Teachers

The next morning was insane. Neither of them had enough money to even purchase a bread roll for breakfast. So the had to settle with nothing after being chased off by an angry store clerk. Later on it was nearly hit and miss with a bus and an attack of crazed bloodhounds.

Plopping himself down upon a bench, he moaned. Kite merely growled at the sight of his complaining companion who lay slumped against the bench. The scent of dog drool wafted through the air around them causing Atrie to cough.

"Now I remember why I live in the countryside. First day in the city, fun. Second, hectic!" Atrie cursed.

Grabbing hold of the rim of Atrie's pants, Kite swished his head side to side, yanking him off the bench. Landing on the hard pavement, he hissed and smacked the fox's muzzle, who in turn snapped back.

"Kite what's gotten into you?"

"You're the one who's been complaining for the past two hours. So if you want to leave so bad, then lets go!" Kite hissed

Sighing, Atrie pulled himself off the ground and starred out at the gray, hazy sky. With a side-glance he nodded to him. In that instant, Kite clambered up Atrie's back, onto his arm and leapt off into the air, transforming into a large golden red glider. Snatching his master from the ground and soared into the sky. Leaving behind the city and many awestruck people who had seen his exit.

Back home in the valley of Red Wind, Matt lay back in the shade of his favorite oak down by the stream. Blue whiskered oxen grazed along the hill above. Grinding a sprig of grass in between his teeth he gazed at the old branches swaying in the wind. A few red rimmed leaves softly descending to the ground, some landing upon his head. Shaking them off, he rose from his resting place. Checking to see if the oxen were content, he wandered down a small trodden path to the village below.

Coming up the path to meet him was a boy by the name of Rachet. Rachet was not part of the main family, meaning Matt had a higher status than he. Even though he was much older and had more experience. Frustrated and jealous, he was often out in the field among the only family he truly knew, the oxen. His shaggy indigo hair gave him the appearance of one of them in the tall, ever shifting grass.

Pushing his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose, he glared at his rival.

"The Elder wants to see you. I'm here to cover your shift," he sneered.

"Thanks," Matt glared.

Shoving his way past Rachet he continued down the path towards his grandmother's house. Sliding the door open, he slipped off his shoes and stepped inside. All of the lights were off and a strange scent of incense wafted through the air. The scent was not of anything he had ever smelled and it began to make him feel strange. His shoulder pulsed with an sharp pain, wincing he tried to rub the agonizing pain away.

"Gran! You home? I was told you summoned me."

Peering into the darkness, he inched his way along the dim hall. A small light caught his eye from one of the rooms. Once close enough to see it clearly, he could make out several different ceremonial candles. Those of which he had never seen before. Stepping inside he called out again.

"Gran? It's me, Matt. You in here?"

From out of the shadows, five figures leapt upon him. Next thing he knew, he was bound by the wrist and ankles. Only one of the figures he recognized in the dim candle light.

"Granny?!? What's going on here? Why are you doing this!" He cried out.

One of the figures closed the door to deafen his cries to the outside world. Nodding to his grandmother, the figure walked over and landed a harsh blow to the back of his neck. The last thing Matt saw was his grandmother waving him away before everything went black.

The sound of trickling rain rang in his ears. Awaking to the sound, Matt found himself nearly naked, lying sprawled out on a large, thickly woven, straw mat. A cold wind whistled around him. Shivering, he clasped his hands around his legs and curled himself into a tight ball. Sitting there, in nothing more than his underwear he slowly began to take in his surroundings.

He found that he was at least fifty feet up in a tree, sitting on a small, roofed platform, in a forest he did not recognize. The trees around him were tall, twisting their way into a thick canopy another sixty feet up. A hand gripped the edge of the platform. The hand's owner pulled himself up onto the platform.

A young man, around eighteen, with long golden hair tied to one side. His deep, sapphire eyes reflected the dim light radiating off the wet leaves. Matt curled up into the corner farthest from him. A friendly smile wrapped itself across the mans face.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to eat you or anything. My name is Toro, and you must be Luke," He laughed. Matt pulled himself as far from Toro as possible. His eyes never leaving his.

"Hey, If it wasn't for me, you'd be up here naked. It took forever for them to finally agree to letting you keep your underpants," Toro huffed.

Matt's eyes widened as he wrapped his arms around himself, much in the way a shocked girl would if walked in on while dressing. Leaning close to the edge, threatening to fall if he approached any closer. Toro sighed and watched him from the other side.

"I bet your wondering why you're here. You're here to learn how to control your other self. Your elfin self, the other half that you are hardly aware of right now."

"Elfin self?"

"Yes. You see, I am a full blooded elf and you are my half brother," Toro smiled, "Your grandmother arranged for you to come stay at my village so that you could learn to control your ever growing magic."

"My magic?" Matt shivered in the cold.

Reaching into his knapsack, Toro pulled out a small furred blanket and tossed it over to him. Matt greedily wrapped the warm bundle of fur around himself. Toro merely chuckled at the sight.

"Don't get comfy just yet. Your going to be here a while, so I'm going to show you, you're new home. I'm also going to be you're new teacher," He gave a nasty smile. Matt could only stare back with resentment and horror to the elf's worlds.

Soaring with the whistling winds, Atrie and Kite flew, approaching Sendai in the near distant hills. Rain began to fall from the waterlogged clouds to the earth below. The pitter patter upon Kite's wings was a warning to Atrie's ears. If the wings became sodden, they would crash and Kite would be severely injured.

"Kite, how long do you think we can hold out?" Atrie yelled up to him.

"Hopefully long enough to get to the city limits, but we'll need to increase our velocity. Ack! I feel so wet! Your lucky to be below deck!"

"I wouldn't call you a deck, Kite. Maybe a large flying parasol though," Atrie laughed.

"Very funny..." Kite hissed.

Pulling a few strings and levers he closed the wings halfway, sending them into a spiral. Their speed dramatically increasing in their decent. Pulling the glider out of the decent he shot off in the form of a giant sideways tornado, spiraling towards Sendai.


End file.
